Sound recording and reproducing machine



' A. CORTELLA; A SOUND RECORDING ANDv RPRODUCING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I8, T916. l y

Patented May 25, @20

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AI CBTELLA. SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING MACHINE.l

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I8, 1916. I L34L01 1.

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A Invenor:

Qfomo C'oiieia agg? A. vcom-ELLA. SOUND RECORDING AND REPRDDUCING MACHINE. APPLICATION iFILI-ID DEC. I8, i915.

1,341,01 1 Patented May 251920'.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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by @"M? Apriti/NSO Con'rELLA, on PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. l

'y 'SOUND RECORDING AND REPRDUCING MACHINE.

specification of Letters Patent.

" Application led December 18, 1916.` Serial No. 137,540.

To all whom lit may concern:

'Be it knownthat I, AL'roNso CORTELLA, a subject of the King of Italy, and a resident of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, 'have invented an Improvement in Sound Recording and Reproducing Machines, of which the .fols lowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification,

like characters on the drawings represent? ing like parts..

This invention relates to talking Amachines. The invention aims. to provide an improved machine of that naturefor recording and reproducing a plurality v of sound records successively and in repeated cycles. By this means an opera or any long musical or other ,record may -be crendered with no break'in the reproduction occasioiied by the substitution of one record foranother.

"ilnfthe drawing of one embodimentV of my invention illustrated and described herein- Figure 1 is a front elevation; Y Fig. 2, a partiall plan of the record shifting` mechanism on an enlarged scale;`

Fig. 3, a4 partial vertical cross-section on an enlarged scale, on the line 3-3, Fig. 1; .4, a detail front elevation of a part of the record shifting mechanism on an enlarged scale, and

Fig. 5, a detaihof the clutch or record locking means. Referring first to Fig. 1, the illustrative embodiment of my invention is shown as a multiple diskrecord machine and as com prising a suitable table lor stand 1, having legs 2, 2, which may conveniently be made adjustable as to height by making them of vthe telescoping type.

'Mounted on the table 1, are a plurality,

' herein two,of turntable supports or brackets 3, 3, of suitable design which may be secured to the table 1, as by scre'ws 4., 4., Each supportz 3 is provided with suitable bearings, herein ball bearings 5, to receive`a rotatable shaft 6 which carries at its upper' end a turntable 7, which conveniently may be called a continuously rotatable recordA carrying member, as normally it is always in rotation. l f

The upper end of the shaft 6, Fig. 5, is, in each case, provided with teeth 8. The shaft (l is hollow and receives within it a spindle 9. carrying` near its upperend a flange 10 also provided with a county of Philadelphia,

v properly pose and to that end the shaft 15 carries,

e On the table 1,n see Figs.

' is mounted, as

a series of crown Patented May 25, 1920,

downwardly extended tooth' 11 which engagesthe teeth 8 on the shaft 6. The upper end ofthe spindle 9 is threaded to take a nut 12 by means of whichA a record disk 13 is secured to the spindle. These spindles may be called conveniently, successively operable record carrying members, as nor-l mally each member- 9 is 'operated alten nately, and the two successively upon being thrown into operating relation with their turntable shafts 6.

For operating the turntablesor continuously operable record rcarrying members, I have provided the improved meansr which I will now describe.

0n the table 1, see Figs. 1,y 2, 3, and in the rear of the supports 3', is mounted, as by supp'orts'let, a driving shaft 15, adapted to be operated in any convenient manner,

herein by a belt 16, from a motor 17, in this pase secured to the under side of the table 1.

'Should it be desired to operate the talking machine in connection with a moving pic-pf ture machine, obviously the shaft 15 could be connected therewith for that purat its left-hand end Fig. 1, a gear 18, in

mesh with a second gear 18a on a )ack shaft 18" adapted to be connected to the shaft of a vmoving picture machine, not shown.

The kshaft 15, Figs. 1 and 3, carries .the necessary number, herein two, of spiral gears 19,l 19, in mesh and coperating with, Y

in each case, a similar gear19bon each shaft 6. Both turntables being operated from the sameV driving shaft theyV are therefore op. erated always at the same speed with a uniformity that adds much to the quality of the sound reproductions, as thetones of the several disks containing one long record are producedA at the 'same pitch. The record shifting mechanism isopeiated and( controlled jointly through suitable connections,

by the sound arms, to be described, and the driving shaft, and I will now describe this recordxshifting mechanism.

in Fig. 3, and in the rear ofthe supports 3,

1,;3, best showny by a support 20, a'relatively long spindle supporting and record shifting;

lever 21, provided at each end with a` laterally extended arm or spindle support 22,

which. at its outer end'receives on its upper face the lower end ofa .spindle 9. These spindles, by means to be'described, areeach alternately raised into inoperative position,

held there while its disk is not in operation,

and then dropped into operative relation shown 'herein as horizontal arms. These lever positioning members 23, are, in turn,

yimmediately controlled and acted upon in each case by al smaller lever throwing member 24 pivoted also to supports/25 on the table 1. One end, herein the outer end, of

each lever throwing member 24, Figs. 2 and ,4, is positioned beneath a lever positioning ",-member 23, while its opposite orinner en' is positioned to be acted upon by a catch or dog'26, to be described. Each catch is '.controlled through suitable connections, by

' a tripping member, also to be described, one

on each sound arm 27, 28, in their travel across the record disks.

My novel means for controlling the movements of the record shifting lever 21 and .spindle supports 22 by the sound arms is as follows. On the ltable 1, and in the rear of the lever- 2.1, 4see Figs. 3, 4, is aforked standard 29 in each arm end ofwhich is mounted to rotate a vertical spindle 30. Flach spindle v30 carries thereon a catch carrying. arm 31 locked thereto .by a lock screw 32. Pivotally secured at the outer end of each arm 31, as by a screw 33, for horizontal ,movement` thereon, is a knuckle 34, operatively a part of and having pivoted thereto in turn, as by a screw 35, the upwardlyv movable catch 26 already referred to, the outer beveled end of which in each case rests upon the inner end of a lever throwing member 24 already referred to.

Each spindle 30 is actuated by means of an arlnl 36 rearwardly'extended thereon as by a lock-screw 37, which arm in this case,

is extended upwardly at itsv outer or. rear end tov contact with and to `be actuated by a tripping member 38 on a sound arm supporting bracket39 which moves with thesound arm as it travels acrossV the record tablet. lt Vis obvious that the lspindle 30,

arms 36 and 31 together, although shown as separate members secured together, constitute `essentially a lever as efectually as though they were constructed of one piece,

and theyfor convenience will be hereafter' referred to as the. reversing lever 30. The' bracket 39 has a pivot bearing. 40 in a post 41alsolon the table 1, .and in the` rear of v the support 29. -The upper end of the bracket 39 is secured to the sound arm 27 which hasalso an additional pivot bearing 42 atA its elbow 43. .j

The sound arm has a sound opening 44.at its inner end which may lead to a horn or other sound discharging means, not shown, if desired, but in the present case, Fig. l, the sound arm is shown equipped with a scribe. f Y On the driving shaft 15 already referred' to, Figs. 1, 3, are' two lever shifting'disks 67,

operative relation 'to the shaft conventional form of sound magnifying device 45 having wires 46 leading therefrom, by means of which the sound can be carried to any desired point and greatly:

levers 51, 52,whilethe opposite or inner arms 53,54, are connected by connecting lrods 56, 57, to arms 58, 59, also secured Vtov the levers 30, Fig. 3, as by locking screws 60, 61, and actuated andi controlled by the tripping 'members 38. Stops 62, 63, are provided to; limit the throw of the levers 47, 48, as a precaution and springs 64, 65 secured to the rods 56, 57, the stop 63 and bracket 49 act normally to return the levers 47, 48, to normal locking position lwhen permitted sol to do by the arms 58, 59.

For positively acting upon the catch members 26 at the proper times to cause them to depress the lever throwing members 24, and through the record shifting means effect the shifting of one record disk from operative to inoperative position and vice versa, there is provlded suitable means which I Vwill def:

68, which rotate continuousl therewith. Each disk has extended laterally from one face thereof directly over the adjacent end of the 'member 24 a pin 69. turntable with its record disk or `tablet is in operative position, Fig. bright-hand end, the pin 69 on the corresponding'lever shifting disk just clears the adjacent end of the member 24 in its rotation. When, however, the record has been reproduced and its turntable is to be raised into inoperative position its catch 26 has been thrown by the tripping member 38 and lever 30 intooperative position and wedged between the member 24 and pin 69, as in Fig. 3, right-hand end, so that the pin 69, on its next rotation, will strike the member 26 on top, pushing it. and

When either the end of member`24thereunder downward.

This causes the opposite end ofmember 24 to lift the adjacent lever positioning member 23 and thereby raise the corresponding end` of the record shifting lever 21, carryingwi-th it its spindle 9 and the record disk secured thereto, thus disengaging the spindle 9v from the rotation of the disk. Simultaneously `wlth the foregoing-operation, the opposite 6, stopping tive relation with its shaft 6 and the reproductionA of the record'is begun.

4 While the operation of the turntable by Vj Y l l ward into inoperative position.`

a motor as proposed, is ordinarily suiiiciently uniform as to speed, nevertheless occasionally luctations in the voltage will cause a slight unevenness 1n the running ofv the' motor which canbe more or less overcome by the use of a suitable regulator.

For this purpose I have provided aspeed regulating means which comprises a gear 7 O.,

on each shaft 6, and a worm 71 in mesh therewith, said worms carried by a shaft 72 mounted, for rotation in brackets 7 3, on the supports 3, and posts 74 on the table 1.

Theshat 72 is lprovided with a suitable governor as the usual ball governor 7 5, and disk 76 fast thereon.

Between the posts 7 4is a post 77, the lower 1 end of which is normally received in a longitudinal slot 78 in the block 79 on the table 1. The upper end of the post 7 7 is forked and each Jforked end is provided with a suitable friction member 80, as leather, adapted to engage the face of the disk 76. This post 77 may be adjusted at will to regulatethe friction between the member 80 and the disk 76 by means ofa rod 81 rotatably supported by the posts 82, 74, the rod having threaded connection with oneof thel posts and a suitable adjusting wheel 83 at its end. e

'The operation of m improved talking machine is as follows Vgith the several parts in the positions shown in the figures of the drawings, the reproduction of the record on the Fig. 1 right-hand disk is completed, and

-the reproduction of the record on' the lettd hand disk is about to commence. As the sound box for the right-hand record, Figs. l, 3, traveled toward the centerv oi' the disk carrying its trip ing' member 88 to the po-V sition shown in ig. 2, the adjustable screw 38 on the tripping member 38 contacted with the arm 36 on the spindle 30 and grad'.- ua'lly'moved the-catch carrying arm 31 to the right, Fig. 3, throwing the arm 59 also to the right, and by means of the rod 57 and lever.

48l unlocking the adjacent end of the lever 21. rlhe movement of the arm 8.1 to the right caused the catch 26 to slide t9 the right on the adjacent endof the reversinglever 24 until the member 26 reacheda point in the path of the pin 69 4on the rotating disk68. The several partsv are so adjustedV that'the member 26 vreaches thispoint just as the vneedle of the right-hand sound box is shunted from the record groove still farther sto the left by its record groove not shown.v

The catch memberj26 having arrived be- ,neath the pin 69 on disk 68, the memberis stru'ck bythe pin 69 on its first rotation i thereafter, is thereby pressed down upon the adjacent end of member A24andthe latter is depressed causing its opposite end to raise the corresponding end of the record shifting lever 21 by means of the member 23 thereon thus carrying lthe right hand spindle 9 and hay its record disk resting on the support 22 .upf The rod 57 hasbeen moved against the spring and when the sound box is raised kby the operator and the sound arm 28 with its tripping member 38 carried back to starting position again for the next record, the spring 65 returns the members 48, 57, 59, to their original positions. Simultaneously with the-upward movement of ,the righthand end 'of the lever 21, the opposite end movesdownward, the lever end striking the inclined face of the locking leverend 5l and,

sliding thereon and beneath it'as it yields sufficientlyl throughv the mediuml of the spring 64, is locked in position. The spring ward and beneath the pin Y69 on the disk 67,

as described in connection with the opposite member 26.` Thisr'movement or the spindle 31 fat the 'same time causes the arm 58 to travel advancefof the member 3l and, through the rod 56, to swing the outer end of the locking lever 47 to the left.Y This junlocks the adjacent eird of the record shifting lever 21 preparatory to the raising of the same by the action of the pin 69 onl disk 67 and member 26 in connection with the member 24 as already described whenY the record is finished and the tripping member' 88 engages the end of the arinY 36.

When the left-hand lever end 21 is raised l and the corresponding record thrown` into inoperative position, the opposite end.l is again depressed and its turntable, with a new record thereon, again thrown into operative relation and the reproduction of the record continued'with no break therein. ln this manner the continuous recording or reproducing of a record may be indefinitely continued through the shifting ol the record carriers in successive cycles.

The machine 'is simple in construction, positive and quick in its actionfior shifting the record carriers. Donbtless modifications of the above describedmechanism may be made within therspirit of the'iventionY and scope of the claims. Y

1.` Ak sound recording and reproducing v machine comprising a continuously operating record carrying member, an operating shaft therefor, arpintle for holding a record, means for lockingthe pintle ,in operative engagement with a carrying member, and a'sound arm; and record shifting means 1ncluding a record shift-inglever having a pintle support, and a lever positioning member thereon, a lever throwing member for and integrally separate from the positioning member, and a lever tripping member actuated from the sound arm to depress the lever throwing member.

tinuously operating record carrying members, each having a pintle with means for locking it to kits carrying. member, and a sound arm; and record shifting means comprisinga .record shifting lever, positioning members thereon, and a lever throwing member adapted to raise'each positioning member, and shifting lever locking means.

3. A sound recording and reproducing machine comprising a continuously operating record carrying member, an operating shaft therefor,` a pintle for holdingthe record, means for locking the pintle in operative `engagement with the carrying member, a sound armi; and record shifting means including a record shifting lever having a pintle support and a lever positioning meniber thereon, a lever throwing member for the positioning member, a vertically and A laterally moving catch actuated by said sound arm to actuate the lever throwing member and .record shifting member, and a shifting lever locking means actuated bythe sound arm. g

4. A sound recording and reproducing machine comprising a continuously operating record carrying member, an operating shaft therefor, a pintle for holding the record, means for locking the pintle in operative engagement with the carrying member,

y afsound arm; and record shifting means including a record shifting lever, a pintle support, and a lever positioning member onsaid lever, a lever throwing member for the positioning member, a vertically and laterally lmoving catch actuated by said sound arm to.

, actuate the lever throwing member .and record shifting member, a locking member for the shifting lever also actuated by the sound yarm in'advance of the catch, and means'for normally holding and retaining the locking lever in shifting lever locking position.

5. A sound recording and reproducing machine comprising a sound arm, a continuously operatin record carrying member, an voperating sha therefor, a' pintle for holding the record, means for lockinglsaidpintle in operative engagement with the carrying member; means for holding the pintle 'and record in inoperative position, A comprising record shifting means, said means includin a record shifting lever, a pintle support and a lever positioning member on. the shifting I6 lever; alever throwing member for .said po- 2. A sound recording and reproducing A machine comprising an operating shaft, consitioning member, a vertically and laterally moving catch, a support, means on the support to engage saidsound arm to actuate the lever throwing member'and record shifting lever; a locking member-for the shifting' lever also actuatedby the sound arm in advance of the catch, and means for normally returning the locking lever to and retaining it in shifting lever locking position.

6. A- sound' recording and reproducing machine comprising a sound arm, a sound magnifying and transmitting device cony nected therewith, a lcontinuously 'operating record carrying member, anA operating shaft ltherefor, a pintle for holding the record,

means for locking said pintle in operative engagement with the carrying member; means for holding the pintle and record in inoperative position, comprising recordshifting means, said means including a record shifting lever; a pintle support and the shifting lever, a throwing member for a locking lever, a positioning member on said positioning member, a vertically and llaterally moving catch, a support, means on the supportv to engage said sound arm to actuate a lever throwing member and record shifting member; and a lever locking mem# ber also actuated by the sound arm in ad- Vance of the catch, andv means for normally returning the locking lever to 'shifting lever locking position; and speed regulatingmechanism including a governor operatively connectedwith the operating shaft and a tension device coperating with the governor. l

' 7. A sound recording' and reproducing 4machine comprising sound arms, simultaneously operated record carrying members, an

operating shaft therefor, pintles for holding therecords, means for locking the pin- -tles in operative engagement with the carrying members; means for holding the pintles and records in inoperative position, comprising record shifting means, said shifting means including a record shifting lever, pintle supportin and lever positioning menibers on the s ifting member, lever throwing members for the positioning members; vertically and Vlaterally moving catches, a support, means on the support to engagethe sound arms to actuate the lever throwing -member and record shifting member; lock- 1 carrymg members into operative relatlon to the simultaneously operativecarrying members, including catch carrying arms with catches thereon operated from the sound arms, a record shifting lever,'and means for lactuating the latter from the operating shaft including lever throwing ,members and' catches actuated from the sound arms including the changing of the positions o the catches relative tothe lever shifting dis v 9. A sound recording and reproducing machine comprising sound arms, simultane' ously operatlng record carrying members,

successlvely operating record carrying members, an operating shaft having lever shifting disks thereon; and means for suceessively throwing the successively operative carrying members into operative relation to 'i the simultaneously operative carrying memcatc arms, a record shi ing lever, and means for .1n shigftngdisks; and'locking levers engaging' fthe shifting lever and operated also from bers including Acatchlcarrymg arms with hes thereon o rated from the sound actuating the latter from the operating shaft including vvertically acting lever throwing members and catches actuated from the sound armsincluding the changing of the positions of the catches by laterally swingcatch ca g arms, relative to lthe thesound arms. v

10. A sound recording and reproducing machine comprising sound arms, simultaneousl operatlng carrying members,' succes sive y operatin =superim osedvv t ereon, an operating shaft record carrying members having ever shifting 'means thereon; and

- means for successively throwing the successively operative carrying members into operative relation to the simultaneously operative carrying members including laterally swinging reversing levers operated from' thereon; a record shiftmolever, and means levers -o lerating continuously, an

'operated successivel 1 `with the firstname l. '-lsition, including oc ating t e record shifting lever said means --includin 'thro levers, catch kcarrying in the operating Ln `shaft t erefor, balanced successively ca pera?v tive'recdrd 'carrying memberS-adaptedtof carr sound arm, record and succslvely operated carr -member-shting means, including a shifting lever, aztrippin member; and connections between the shiftlng means and tripving member including a reversing lever actlng at substantially right angles to the shifting lever, a' throwing lever, and a lever shifting disk onsaid shaft; and means for effectingo erative engagement between the disk and t e throwing member and shifting lever.

12. A sound recording and .reproducing machine comprising continuously moving record carrying members 7, means for opv erating the same alternately operating '-rec-'j dapted alsofto be operated' ord carriers 9 a from the continuously moving members 7, the operating shaft 15, therecord shifting lever 21connected with and'for alternately throwing one alternately operable record carrier and its recordinte operation,'and

Y its opposite record carrierand recordv out of operation; and operating means therefor comprising tripping members 39 actuated from the'tone arms, Acatch carrying arms^31 with catches 26 and knuckles 34 thereon and 'throwing levers 24; 4disks 67 on the shaft 15v acting upon'the throwin levers 24; andconnecting rods 56, 57, .and locking levers 53, 54, secured thereto and actuated also from the tone arms, for locking and un- Alockin the lever 21. Y v I sound recording and reproducing 13. machine comprising constantly operating record carrying'fmembers, alternatelyA operating record carrying members supported during bperation by'V and actuated by the eonstantly operatingmembers, an operatmg shaft, means for locking the alternately. operatin record members to the constant y operating record ca bers, means for supporting alternately record carrying members in mo a record shi lever, levers therefor, and means or acturative po-` armsan catches t ereon, means for operating the same from the' tone arms; and means also-operative fromthe'tone arms for unlocking the record shifting lever in advance. of, movement of said lever, and means to lock the recordshifting lever after moveent of the; saine-1.aV I- i: In testimony-whereof I and :simultaneously members; a

frying -memhavev signed '.my 115 l 

